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"Love saved me" by Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong

There was a time when I couldn't look you in the eye.
There was a time when I feared to sit in your presence;
There was a time when I trembled at the thought of placing my foot in your footprint!

But time doesn't stand still.

So, today I stomp on your deepest footprint.
Today, a table is set before me, in your very presence; and I drink from a goblet of gold and diamonds, while you sip from a wooden tumbler.
Today, I stand before you and I look, squarely, into your eyes, then I look away, then I look at you again; into your deep, dark, daggered eyes...
You may have beaten me on all of those rainy nights.
You may have torn my red panties. Yes, the ones that you asked me to wear, just so that you could tear them to shreds, to prove to me that you could buy red lingerie over and over again.
And you may have bruised my soul, stabbed my spirit, broken my nose, teeth-marked my breasts and swollen my lips...

But I have found the one, whom my soul loves:
And Love has saved me, love has healed me, love has elevated my societal status!

And because of Love,
you will be blinded by the gleam in my eyes,
you will eat the crumbs from my table,
you will trip over my hefty footprints...
And I will always overpower you with powerful Love.

Apiorkor Seyiram Ashong is a Ghanaian-American poet and versatile creative. Her work is noted for its rare narrative, prosaic nature, which is uncommon, in poetry. She has also been commended for the sharp, vivid imagery of her pieces.